171–180 of 311 posts
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yeah to cut straight to the chase a special administrative region of the people's republic of china is actually more free than the USA.
Dunno about "free", but what really bothers me is that someone decided to seek asylum from the US. US used to be the gold standard in democracy and justice.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5854562
Some of the rationales for being in Hong Kong we see attributed to interview statements by him sound like statements by a person who knows a lot less about east Asia than he thinks he knows. In the six years that I lived in east Asia, all spent there after first learning the history, language, and culture of China thoroughly by university studies and independent reading and participation in foreign student clubs before going over, I grew quite tired of instant experts on Asia who can't even speak any local language. Snowden made the move he could make when he decided to leave his employment at Booz Allen Hamilton, but it's not clear that his move was "brilliant" or even very thought out at all.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
yeah to cut straight to the chase a special administrative region of the people's republic of china is actually more free than the USA.
Dunno about "free", but what really bothers me is that someone decided to seek asylum from the US. US used to be the gold standard in democracy and justice.
It's not a new thing.
Actually I'm not aware of any point in US history where an NSA employee could leak information to foreign journalists and not face charges.
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Well, it sounds like their system is the polar opposite of the US: they can't choose their government, but it does what the people want.
It does what a certain segment of the society wants. Government for the professional upper class by the professional upper class.
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I can't tell if you're being sarcastic. I don't imagine an "interest in Chinese language and culture" would have anything to do with this decision.
He mentioned picking up Mandarin in one of his Ars posts, I think. Not "fiendishly" clever, just apparently more clever than the folks running our intelligence services.
As Confucius said, in one of his most famous take-downs, "始吾於人也、聽其言而信其行、今吾於人也、聽其言而觀其行。At first in dealing with people, I would hear their words and trust their deeds, but now my way of dealing with people is to hear their words and observe their deeds." We'll see what appears about his planning and his view toward China and a lot of other things about him as he continues interaction with news media and the governmental authorities of various governments.
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Dunno about "free", but what really bothers me is that someone decided to seek asylum from the US. US used to be the gold standard in democracy and justice.
There have been plenty of people over the years who have requested asylum from the US. It's not a new thing. Actually I'm not aware of any point in US history where an NSA employee could leak information to foreign journalists and not face charges.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whistleblower_Protection_Act
Unfortunately for Snowden, the Act only covers federal employees, not the private subcontractors whose security clearances may expose them to criminal acts, but whose employment status leaves them unable to report them safely.
I live in Hong Kong, and can verify that it is absolutely a technologist's paradise and an extremely easy place to move around in. Phones are incredibly cheap; the cheapest functional Android knockoff smartphones will run you about $50-80 (all prices in USD for simplicity), maybe less if you get it in Kowloon. "Burner"-style phones can be as low as $8. SIM cards are essentially free (usually about $8-10 deposit on th…
http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=population+density+by+c...
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Day trip to Macau might fix that. I bet he can get a special accommodation though.
He might face extradition at the border, depending on how Macau-China-US relations work.